Hundreds of new homes will be built as part of the Hunters Moon project on land between Chippenham and Corsham, to fulfil a housing shortage in Chippenham.

The project, to built by Bloor Homes, has been criticised by Corsham Town Council, which is worried it will erode the boundary between Chippenham and Corsham.

But today the developer gained outline planning permission to build up to 450 houses, as well as to use 2.33 hectares of land for employment, 1.2 hectares of land for a primary school and 10.42 hectares for public open space.

It has also gained full planning permission for the first phase of the development, to be made up of 103 houses, ten business starter units and three new access junctions off Easton Lane at the northern boundary of the site.

Wiltshire Councillor Linda Packard, who also sits on Chippenham Town Council, said: “The situation in Chippenham at the moment is that there are very few if any business units available to be let. If you go on to the likes of Zoopla or Rightmove and try to fund new build properties in Chippenham you will find that the new build properties are retirement or care homes.”

Laurence Turner, a planning consultant for Bloor Homes, said Wiltshire Council would receive £3.93 million from central government if the scheme went ahead under a new homes bonus scheme.

He said Wiltshire Council had only received five letters of objection and Bloor Homes had consulted extensively with local residents, holding a public exhibition and dropping leaflets to advertise this.

However, Wiltshire Councillor Phillip Whalley, who is a member of Corsham Town Council, said concerns remained over flooding at Queensbridge Cottages and privacy at Tatterswell Farm, as several housing plots would overlook residents there.

He said: “It appears to me that the applicant, Bloor Homes, has failed to address the lengthy concerns of the very few neighbours adjacent to the site as to matters of privacy and flooding.”

Paul Martin, a resident at Queensbridge cottages, on Saltersford Lane, said: “Our houses and gardens back onto the railway embankment. At the back of the gardens is a culvert which runs through the embankment and takes all water from the unnamed stream which runs through the fields opposite out houses and around our properties.

“Photos exist of flooding problems we have had in the past. Our properties are at the lower part of the site and stream provides all the run-off for those fields for the majority of the site. If the land is concreted over, the run-off will be much faster and the water will come towards our property.”